Holding Back
by Ray-Tiger-Cat
Summary: [Oneshot] A rather devious Kai has heard confessions from Tala and Hilary regarding their feelings for the other. Knowing that there's no chance that they'll confess by themselves, he decides they need a little 'help'.


RTC: Hi! Oh another strange pairing from me! TalaxHilary today! And it's for Inner Dragon! This took quite a bit of thinking (I needed a proper setting for the fic) but after the initial idea popped into my head, it got written in record time! Inner Dragon, thank you for reading my work, even after you realized that there was a virtually no chance I'd be writing KaixTyson, lol! I think most people might have just given up on me at that point! I hope you get a hope of hope for things, you know what I mean, but I think it's less than appropriate explain the situation to anyone with internet access!

Tyson: Just a quick warning that Kai is a teeny bit OOC, but it is all for the common good! Plus he still has some seriously evil ideas!

RTC: Now, who's doing the disclaimer?

Hilary: In case you hadn't noticed, we're on fanfiction, meaning Ray-Tiger-Cat does not own Beyblade, got it?

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"My, they certainly did a number on the stadium," Mr. Dickenson commented, surveying the damage.

"Yeah," Tala grunted in response. He couldn't care less about the state of the stadium; he was only here to see if a certain two people were alright.

"Kai, my boy, what are you doing up?" Mr. D. called out. Sure enough, when Tala looked up, he found his best friend and former team mate standing on a pillar of stone.

In the blink of an eye, Kai jumped off the pillar and landed gracefully in front of them.

"I felt like coming," Kai replied, before turning his attention to Tala. "So..."

"Yeah, so..." Tala and Kai's conversation skills were sorely lacking, but they'd managed to convey the message that they were glad to see the other up and alright, even if they would never admit to that out loud.

Just then, they hear a shrill screech and winced, fearing the worst-fangirls.

But to their surprise, the only thing that tackled them was a feisty brunette.

"What the hell are you both doing here?!" she began, "No wait, I don't want to hear it; nothing is an acceptable excuse for you to leave your beds? Gosh, Mr. D. why haven't you hauled them off yet?! What were your doctors thinking, Tala?! You just woke up from a bloody coma! And you, Kai! I thought you were more responsible than this! Go home and get some rest! Tala, you're coming with me!" And with that, Hilary grabbed Tala's arm and started dragging him in the general direction of the hospital.

"Kai, is it just my old eyes, or were those two blushing?" Mr. Dickenson asked.

"Remind me just why you like her so much again," Kai requested as he followed the pair, leaving Mr. Dickenson standing and staring.

Tala just blushed hard. Kai smirked.

'Those two will never confess their feelings at the rate they're going. Looks like they'll be needing a bit of "help"," he thought and a mischievous glint was evident in his eyes. 'They've certainly pined over each other long enough.'

Flashback

"Kai, um, well," Tala began several weeks earlier.

Kai shifted his glance to his friend. It wasn't like Tala to use words like 'um' and he never asked questions when hey were observing other teams' matches. Today, the BBA Revolutions were fighting and Kai braced himself for questions about Tyson's blading stats.

"Is Tyson with Hilary?"

Had Kai not been such a calm individual, he would have fallen off his chair. As it was, he could barely give a coherent answer. "No... Can I ask why you want to know about Tyson's love life?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Well, is she with anyone else?" Tala wondered, ignoring Kai's question.

"Oohhh, Tala has a crush!" Kai pronounced rather childishly, laughing at the blush that covered the other's face.

"Kai, this is serious!"

"To my knowledge, she's single, Tal, so go for it!"

"Aww, shut up! I was just curious!"

"Right," Kai replied sarcastically.

"You tell anyone and you die." Tala shot Kai his most lethal glare.

"It's between you and me," Kai assured him while silently plotting ways to get the two together.

End flashback

Flashback

"Hang in there, Tala, and we'll be back soon to visit you," Tyson said as they left Tala's hospital room. The Blitzkrieg Boys' captain was still in a coma and was showing no signs of waking any time soon.

Kai watched as his former team mates say good bye and waited patiently around the corner until they left. He really didn't want to talk to them after his stunt with Bega.

Just as Kai was about to enter the room, he heard someone talking.

"Tala, I know you can't hear me, but I just needed to tell you to stay strong and keep fighting because... because I love you and need you. I think I've liked you from the first time I saw you and I was going to tell you, but then this happened. I suppose it was just as well; you probably don't care for me anyway." There was a pause as Hilary sobbed. "Well, I'd better go before my team notices my absence."

Kai ducked out of sight just in time. So, they were both attracted to each other, but too scared to confess. He vowed that is Tala did wake up, he'd somehow get them to confess.

End flashback

Kai watched from the hallway as Tala and Hilary talked. The doctors had readmitted the redhead and Hilary was sticking around to keep him company. 'Perfect,' Kai's sadistic mind thought.

Eventually, the pair were interrupted by a nurse bringing Tala his lunch. Kai crept closer and heard Hilary say, "Well, I'd better get some lunch too. Do you mind being alone for a while?"

"No, no, of course not," Tala replied.

"'k, I'll be back in a bit!" she exclaimed. She gave him a quick hug, before running out of the room. Because she was running so fast, she didn't see Kai standing there and collided with him.

"Hey, what are you doing here? I thought I told you to go home?" she asked.

"Visiting Tala," he said, flashing a half-glare (he couldn't do more with the bandage over one eye) as if daring her to stop him. To her credit, she didn't flinch, but let him through all the same.

'This will make things so much easier,' Kai thought with a smirk.

"So, Tala, how's the romance of the century?" Kai mocked.

"Shut up," Tala retorted, throwing a pillow at Kai, which he promptly caught a hurled back.

"I can point out that you're not denying it, are you? So, when are you going to tell Hilary?"

"If I have it my way, never."

"And just why not? You like her a lot and you deserve a nice girl in your life."

"Because she won't like me back!" Tala sounded shaky and self-conscious.

"And how do you know that?" Kai asked.

"Just because. Now are you going to stop teasing me or what?"

"Hn." Kai took this as a cue to leave and go bug Hilary.

"Hay, Kai, are you done visiting already?" Hilary wondered when she saw the captain walk into the cafeteria.

"Yeah. So, how are things between you two? Any romance yet?" Kai smirked.

Hilary turned bright red. "I-but-how did you find out that I like Tala?!"

"Oh, I have my ways. So why haven't you told him yet?"

"Kai, you know he won't go for m when half the girls on planet earth worship him. He has his pick of millions. Why would he go for me?"

"I see," Kai said, nodding wisely. "Well, I better, er, go rest now," he added, hoping the lie would let him get away and put his plan into action without suspicion. Sure enough, Hilary bought it and Kai left.

Once in the hallway, he pulled out a small recording device. "Man, I'm good," he said aloud. "Now it'll be quite simple to get them together!" Restraining the urge to laugh evilly, Kai got some 'equipment' together and headed for the nurses' station.

Slipping into the nurses' office was quite easy for Kai, simply because he was the great Kai Hiwatari. Oh, and the fact that he'd set up a little diversion in the form of leaving candy out on the pediatric ward may have had something to do with it too.

Finding the intercom to Tala's room also proved to be easy. He clicked in on and hit the play button on the recording device.

The two unsuspecting occupants of the room jumped when they heard the intercom go on. Thinking it was just a nurse, Tala responded, "Yes?"

To his surprise, he heard the whole conversation he had with Kai not even an hour before played back. 'Oh no, she knows!' his brain was screaming and he was struggling to stay composed.

"I can explain," he began, but got cut off as Hilary's conversation with Kai got played back as well.

Now Hilary was the one that felt embarrassed.

"Is this all true?" she asked, "Or am I dreaming?"

"It's true. You really like me?" Tala replied.

"More than you'll ever know."

Both Tala and Hilary reached for each other and their lips met seconds later. To them, the kiss felt all too short, but in reality, it was enough time for Kai to get to the room. A bright flash caused the two to break apart, to see a grinning Kai standing in the doorway with a camera.

"It's about time!" he remarked cheekily. "Now which site should I post this on first?"

"You!" both Hilary and Tala said and fixed him with a glare.

"You can't do anything to me," Kai pointed out. And it was true-Tala was hurt and Hilary wasn't strong enough to hurt Kai.

"Hmm, I think I have a picture of Kai cuddled up with a teddy somewhere," Tala commented evilly.

Hilary caught on immediately. "And I think I've got one from when Tyson drew pink triangles on his cheeks while he slept."

"And they'd look so nice on the internet," Tala finished.

Kai had paled. "You wouldn't."

"We would."

"Now hand over the camera and go away!"

Reluctantly, Kai handed it over and scurried out of the room before they could come up with another crazy idea.

'Mean as what they did to me was, they deserve to be happy,' Kai thought, smiling, 'I'm just glad I could help.'

-----

RTC: Yes, Kai is a big meanie, but he got them together in the end, right? I couldn't think of a more appropriate matchmaker for this slightly weird pairing! (WeirdAWESOME!) Thanks for reading! Until next time, this is RTC signing off!


End file.
